Monett returns three starters to the hardwood

By Jared Lankford Special to the Monett Monthly

Basketball season will soon be upon the fans, and the Monett girls team is looking to build off a 14-14 campaign last season.

The Lady Cubs return three starters from a season ago and a healthy mix of returning letterwinners.

“We are excited for this upcoming season,” said Josh Kleine, Monett coach. “With the three seniors we lost to graduation, we are losing about 21 points and 15 rebounds per game, but I believe we have girls that are ready to step in and fill those roles. 

“We have three seniors this year that have been playing lots of varsity minutes since their freshman year. I believe they have the ability to lead us to a great season, and help us compete with anyone on our schedule. Along with our upperclassmen, there are several young players that will get big minutes for us.”

Monett lost three talented players to graduation in All-Conference guard Hallie Schoen, Abby Inman and Vayla Smith.

Despite the loss of points and leadership, the cupboard is far from bare.

A trio of seniors in Kylie Wilson, Meredith Merriman and Kalli Hohensee will lead the way for Monett.

Wilson, a 5-7 guard, averaged 14 points and 5 rebounds last season.

“She can score the ball from all three levels,” Kleine said. “She is a very athletic guard who can also defend and rebound. She also has a knack for getting steals and creating turnovers for the other team. She has improved each year, and we look for that to continue.”

Merriman, a 5-10 forward, scored 9 points and grabbed 6 rebounds per contest last season.

“She is a tough matchup for most teams, as she has good moves inside but can also attack from mid range,” Kleine said. “She battled through some injuries last season, and still did a great job for us. When she’s healthy, she’s one of the best post players in our conference. She’s also very unselfish, and tries to get her teammates involved.”

Hohensee, a 5-7 guard, averaged 5.7 points and 2.3 rebounds last year.

“She is our best on ball defender,” Kleine said. “She will go toe to toe with the best players on our schedule. She also has the ability to score in several ways.”

Also returning for Monett is 5-7 junior Fenli Wilson, who averaged 5 points and 2 boards last season.

“She is a good shooter, but she also started to attack the basket more last year,” Kleine said. “She helps our offense, just  being out there spreading the defense out. As her confidence grows, she’s going to continue to be a bigger problem for opposing coaches.”

Monett will look for big production from newcomer Brycelynn Courtois.

“Brycelynn actually moved into our district last season during Christmas break,” Kleine said. “We didn’t get her eligible to play until the end of the season. As a freshman, she earned varsity playing time in the last 6 games of the season. She is very athletic, and can affect the game on both ends of the court. She’s a physical defender, rebounds well, and has a knack for getting to the basket and scoring around the rim as well as knocking down the outside shot when needed.”

Also returning for Monett are Kenzi Waterman, Myla Willams and Hannah Parris.

“Seven of our first eight games are on the road, so we will find out early in the season how tough our team is,” Kleine said. “There could be some growing pains along the way, but if our team can mesh together, we should be able to compete with everyone on our schedule.”

Monett opens the season on Nov. 24 at Sarcoxie. The Lady Cubs’ home opener is on Dec. 8.